This invention relates to a capsule apparatus to protectively support an injured, sick or otherwise disabled person while transported from an industrial, recreational or military site by essentially any suitable means to some designated first-aid area.
In the past, a person disabled due to sickness or accident was transported from the hostile environment by a stretcher to a selected site for continued transportation by a ground vehicle or by air transport such as by a helicopter. While not so limited, the present invention is particularly useful for transporting a disabled person from an underground mine site through the utilization of a capsule enclosure which is coupled to a conveyor belt or other conveyance medium for transportation to a first-aid or other designated treatment area. The traditional stretcher has been used in coal mines for a number of years to transport an injured person on conveyor belts. However, the traditional stretcher lacks rigidity and fails to protect against further injury. Because of this, it is desirable and even required in certain mine sites that each working area which is not served by a track-mounted or rubber-tired vehicle but using conveyor belts for the removal of coal, is equipped with a device within which an injured person can be placed and transported by the belt conveyor to the surface or transportation facilities. The device developed for this purpose must meet the need for use in a work area having a low ceiling height, e.g., 42 inches. In such an area, the freedom of movement by assisting personnel is restricted with respect to loading the injured person onto the device and movement thereof along the floor. Moreover, first-aid supplies must be accessible for immediate use.